grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

That Bookstore in Blytheville – New Owner!

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TBIB New Owner
Have you been to That Bookstore in Blytheville (TBIB) lately?
In 1976, Mary Gay Shipley opened That Bookstore on Main Street in Blytheville, Arkansas, as a place to swap one stack of used paperbacks for another stack of ‘un-read’ paperbacks. Only a little hole in the wall,  Mary Gay nurtured and grew her bookstore, which eventually attracted New York Times best-selling authors to her little spot along the Arkansas Delta Byways. 
When she announced her retirement, I worried. I don’t like change, especially when books are involved.
I am happy to report I still love it. The new owner of TBIB, Grant Hill, is book knowledgeable and friendly. He humored me as I ‘practiced’ being on book tour.
See? Here I am pretending to be at my very first book signing. The picture is blurry because I’m too excited to be still.
That Bookstore in Blytheville

My friend Harold says I’m the only person he’s ever heard of who promotes a book yet to be published. So? I’m just extreme vision boarding…

TBIB dedicates rows of shelving to regional books by local authors. There are many. I stared at the books lining this section and pictured copies of my book stacked right beside Reflections from the Black Lagoon by Julie Adams. (Julie, from Blytheville, was the Creature’s bathing beauty…) 
Grace Grits and Gardening Candle
Grace Grits candle posing at TBIB in front of Julie Adam’s Creature book…:)

If you live or travel anywhere in Northeast Arkansas or the bootheel of Missouri, be sure to stop by TBIB and buy a few great books (or a whole stack like my mother and I did). And be sure to follow TBIB on Facebook and Twitter. Wherever you live, go out today and support your local independent bookstore.
That bookstore in Blytheville

Now, I need to find a publisher…

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Thai Basil Crostini

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Foodie Friday

made with Strawberry Fruit Spread from Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum
This is a great brunch appetizer, snack or dessert. 
Toasted Sourdough
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Berry Jam
Goat Cheese Crumbles
Thai Basil
Thai basil is a peppery, anaise-flavored version of basil with smaller, deep green leaves and purple-hued stems. The flowers make a nice garnish and are edible as well. 
strawberry goat cheese thai basil crostini
Thai Basil
For this recipe, regular basil or fresh sage works great too.


talya
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life

It is very hot and dry here…We have had an abundance of fine fruit so far this season. Cherries, berries, plums and early peaches but the dryness is affecting the apples and everyone’s disposition.—Mary Pfeiffer, July 1933 (in a letter to her daughter Pauline and son-in-law Ernest Hemingway in Key West…)

Happy Birthday Anita!

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Anita and I were best friends from birth. 
One of our favorite weekend activities involved connecting the massive spread of mud puddles between her house and her Daddy’s shop. (She’s a farmer’s daughter too…) With sticks, we dug trenches between water holes, so a leaf would freely float from one end of her property to the other. This took careful planning and hours of dedication. 
When we weren’t redirecting the water on her Daddy’s home place, we sat on the rickety bridge just down the gravel road leading to her house. With our legs dangling over muddy water, we planned Anita’s escape. We were certain she was secretly adopted, and if this was the case, running away seemed logical. The signs were obvious, and the basis for our theory was solid—compared to her older sister Sharon, there were fewer baby pictures of Anita…
We reviewed our carefully crafted plans over and over. She would sneak out during veil of darkness. But…should she wait until after Halloween? All that candy would come in handy. Maybe she should wait til next Summer? 
The details were simple and fail proof. She would hide out and live on the banks of the river, avoiding the area with the scary quicksand. I would somehow sneak food to her. Until the time was right, we returned to our mud puddles.
Happy birthday Anita!
talya
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life
Musical Pairing:
The Beatles Birthday Song

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!